Conventional labeling machines use labels applied on a backing ribbon, from which they must be removed to be placed on products to be labeled.
These labeling machines have a ribbon feeding assembly constituted by at least one spool of ribbon, which supports the labels and which is unwound progressively.
The ribbon unwound from the feeder spool is transferred to a label application assembly, which is provided with a device intended to detach the labels from the ribbon and apply them on the products to be labeled.
Finally, the backing ribbon is transferred to an assembly for recovering the used backing ribbon.
In order to try to reduce machine downtimes, while the label backing ribbon is being unwound from a first spool, the operator prepares a second spool of ribbon that supports the labels, applying, at the free end of said ribbon, a double-adhesive element and arranging said free end at a splicing station, which has the purpose of joining the backing ribbon of the spool about to be depleted to the ribbon of the new spool.
This operation does not entail particular problems if the spool about to be depleted supports the labels on the face that is arranged opposite to the position of the ribbon of the new spool.
However, if the labels of the spool about to be depleted face the ribbon of the new spool, it is evident that it is not possible to perform the splice, since the double adhesive would be applied on a region with labels and therefore, once the label application assembly is reached, separation would occur between the depleted ribbon and the end of the ribbon of the new spool on which the double adhesive had been applied.
As a consequence, in traditional labeling machines, when the feeder spool with the labels facing the ribbon to be spliced is depleted, the operator stops the labeling machine to remove manually the labels supported by the ribbon about to be depleted, so as to be able to engage the end of the new spool preset with the double adhesive with the region of the ribbon about to be depleted from which the label has been removed.
It is evident that known solutions have the drawback of having to stop periodically the labeling machine to attach the label backing ribbon wound on the new feeder spool to the ribbon of the spool about to be depleted.
In order to try to solve this drawback, a solution has been proposed which uses a device for the automated separation of the labels supported by the ribbon of the spool about to be depleted.
This solution, described for example in patent EP 1904390 B1 in the name of Krones, despite being valid from a conceptual standpoint, is constructively complicated.
The aim of the present disclosure is to solve the problems and obviate the drawbacks described above, providing an assembly for feeding backing ribbon for labeling products to be labeled that is considerably easier and more practical to use than conventional assemblies.